DirecTV has around 20 million viewers and a $40 billion market cap. Any deal would bring AT&T’s TV presence to around the same size as its rival Comcast’s, once the company completes its deal to buy Time Warner Cable. AT&T’s own TV business is estimated to have 5.7 million customers, while Comcast and Time Warner Cable combined will serve around 30 million.

The Journal cites sources who claim that AT&T has previously approached DirecTV and Dish “in recent years,” though, reading between the lines, Comcast’s move may well have triggered this latest effort.